


Diego Hargreeves Finds Himself Adopted by Batman

by itsoddsteven



Series: tua/dcu crossover series [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Diego Hargreeves-centric, Gen, Hurt Diego Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25885000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsoddsteven/pseuds/itsoddsteven
Summary: After his father is sentenced to life in prison for child exploitation, Diego Hargreeves finds himself in a group home, separated from his siblings. Still wanting to use his powers for good, Diego patrols the streets of Gotham. Unsurprisingly, Batman finds him and unofficially adopts him.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Bruce Wayne
Series: tua/dcu crossover series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868494
Comments: 13
Kudos: 90





	Diego Hargreeves Finds Himself Adopted by Batman

**Author's Note:**

> (:

Diego Hargreeves, Number Two, has a superpower. This is not unheard of. Diego is a superhero and this, too, is not unheard of. Even child superheroes are not unheard of. But, with their secret identities out in the open, unlike the other child superheroes, The Umbrella Academy is taken to court. Reginald Hargreeves is deemed an unfit father, and the children are split up into various foster homes.

Diego doesn’t know where Klaus, Five, Ben, and Vanya end up. Luther, Allison, and himself end up in Metropolis. Someone tries to adopt Luther the very same day they arrive, but Allison won’t let them split her and Luther up. Her powers don’t work on the man in question, but he decides against adopting Luther anyways. This shakes up Allison and she won’t leave Luther's side for a single second. 

Diego can’t sit still. He can’t sit idly by when there’s crime in the city and it’s his duty as someone with powers to stop it. He tries escaping the foster home, but his foster father catches him. Diego scowls at him.

“You don’t understand,” he says, “This city needs me.”

His foster father puts a hand on his shoulder. “Like hell it needs you, son. We have Superman.”

“I can help! I’m meant to help,” he struggles to explain. He tries to push past his foster father, but to no avail.

“Your father brainwashed you into thinking you have a duty to help people. Just because your father said it doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Diego sees red and punches his foster father in the face. He runs away into the night and stops one theft before he’s caught by the police.

He’s moved to another foster home, away from Luther and Allison, a group home for troubled teens. It’s located in Gotham, far away from his siblings. He’s only twelve. 

As soon as he’s introduced to everyone, he scouts the perimeter. This place looks less locked in than the other foster home. On his first night, he escapes out of his bedroom window.

He still has his police radio, but for tonight he just wants to scout out the area. Gotham is said to have some of the highest crime rates in the city, but it also has a member of the Justice League looking after it. Batman and all of his various sidekicks. Diego knows from reading articles that the heroes consider themselves to be family, and he feels a pang in his chest. As much as Luther annoys him sometimes, he misses his family. But he has to fight, even without him. It’s his duty to humanity, for having been born with powers.

Diego’s been to Gotham once before with his family. Ben killed the Joker and they all went to some charity event. It looks a lot different at night. Greasier, more troubled. In the light one focuses on the nicer looking parts of town, but in the dark one is drawn to the darkness.

The radio tells Diego that there’s been shots fired on a street near him. He scrambles to make it to the street, and when he arrives he sees Batman. Batman easily takes out the shooter, ties him up for the police, and then disappears. But not before making eye contact with Diego.

Diego tries to follow him, but to no avail. Instead, he continues patrolling the area, and each time the radio calls something in, Diego arrives just in time to see Batman before he disappears again. And each time Batman looks him in the eye. Diego feels like he’s looking into his soul.

When it comes time to go back to the group home for the night, Diego is wiped. He sleeps for three hours like a log, until one of the older kids rudely wakes him up. The day is slow and annoying. All the kids want to know what his deal is, but Diego won’t say. Only the owner of the group home knows that he has superpowers, and he would like for it to stay that way. How he got caught last time was not having a secret identity. He won’t make the same mistake twice.

The next night, Diego goes out patrolling again. After he encounters Batman for the umpteenth time, he expects Batman to simply leave again. But he stays put, staring Diego down.

“You need something?” Diego asks, feeling for his knives.

“Gotham doesn’t need another hero,” Batman states, voice low and gravelly. 

Diego rolls his eyes. “Have you seen the crime rates in this city? This place needs the most help out of any.”

“We’re working on it. And we don’t need anymore help, especially not from the likes of a kid.”

Diego scoffs. “Red Robin is at most fourteen, and I bet Robin is only ten.”

“They’re exceptions.”

“Can’t I be an exception too?” he asks, even though he knows what the answer will be.

Batman jumps up to the roof. “If I see your face around here again you won’t like the consequences.” Then he leaps to another roof, running away.

Diego scowls. He hates people who underestimate him, but he hates assholes who walk away from a conversation even more. Batman seems like an arrogant bastard, and Diego wasn’t looking for his help or approval anyways. He can help this city all on his own.

And he does, for a few days. He manages to stay out of Batman’s sight, or maybe Batman stays out of his, and he helps clean up the town of criminals. He feels accomplished each night when he goes to bed.

Then, of course, Batman has to go and screw it up.

Diego is fighting some petty criminals with his knives, and he almost has them all down, only one left. Then, out of nowhere, Batman screams his name. Diego looks up at him, confused, and then he feels a piercing sharp pain in his shoulder and he falls to the floor.

He sees Batman take out the guy on the ground with the gun, and then the guy who Diego was fighting a minute ago. He’s quick, and clean. Batman rushes over to Diego.

“You’re hurt,” he breathes out. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

It dawns on Diego that he doesn’t have anywhere to go. No mom to patch him up, no Pogo to supervise, and certainly no father to berate him for getting hurt in the first place. Diego shakes his head. “No,” he whispers. He should’ve had a plan in place for if he got hurt, but he stupidly believed that he’s invincible, like Luther.

Batman sighs. “I can’t have a kid die on my watch. Alright,” he says, having made a decision. “I’ll get Alfred to stitch you up.”

Batman carefully picks Diego up and jogs him over to his Bat Cave. Diego knows he should be paying attention to the directions so he can find the place later, but he’s too tired. Batman tries to make some small talk, but Diego doesn’t bite.

“What should I call you, then?” Batman asks.

“Sparrow,” Diego decides. It fits with the bird theme that Gotham has going on, and he’s always liked sparrows. He thinks it suits him.

Batman frowns a little, but he seems to accept the answer. 

When they enter the Bat Cave, there’s an old man sitting by the computers. He looks Diego up and down. “Another one?” he says, either commenting or teasing, Diego can’t tell.

Batman gives him a look. “He’s the one who’s been following me around lately.”

“Have not,” Diego mutters, letting Batman guide him to a chair.

“He has a bullet in his shoulder,” Batman explains.

The old man, probably Alfred, does whatever doctors do and starts fiddling around in his desk, looking for materials or whatever. Diego is not interested in watching, he’s a little squeamish around needles, so he focuses his gaze on Batman instead.

“What?” Batman asks gruffly, noticing Diego watching him.

“Nothing,” Diego quickly replies. “Just… wondering. Um. Why’d you help me out?”

Alfred chuckles, and Batman gives him another look. He clears his throat. “I couldn’t let a kid die on my watch,” he repeats himself.

“I don’t believe you,” Diego tests.

Batman shrugs. “If you won’t believe the truth then that’s your issue. Looks like you’re all stitched up. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Diego looks away. “No thanks. No offense, but I don’t want you knowing where I live.”

“Fair,” Batman says in a clipped tone. “At least let me escort you out.”

Diego nods and they exit the Bat Cave. Once out in the open streets again, Batman speaks up. “Sparrow, it’s not safe fighting crime. Tonight proved it.”

Diego frowns. “I’ve been hurt before and I’ll be hurt again. It’s not going to stop me from doing what’s right.”

Batman sighs. “If you’re absolutely certain. If you run into any more issues, give me a call.” He hands a card with his number on it to Diego.

“Thanks,” Diego says, oddly touched. And then Batman ruins the moment by disappearing again. Diego walks home and manages to sneak back in through his window without hurting his shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhhh anyone at all interested in this?? it's not my top priority right now but boy was it fun to write


End file.
